Thonga Beach Lodge
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| Rooms: | 12: 10 twins, 2 doubles, all with bath & sh’r, air-con, mosquito nets & sea or forest view. |
| Price: | R2,050 - R2,800 pp sharing. Includes all meals, guided snorkelling, guided walks & kayaking. Spa treatments & scuba prices available on request.
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| Meals: | Full board. |
| Directions: | From Durban take the N2 north to Hluhluwe and then follow signs to Kosi Bay (Kwa-Ngwanase). 30km beyond Mbazwana follow signs right to Coastal Forest Reserve. Thonga car park (and lodge pick-up point) is now located at Coastal Cashew factory, 4.7km from tar rd. For 4x4 vehicles you will have to go 32km on along sandy road. |
| GPS: | S27 19.771 E032 45.027 |
Isibindi Africa Lodges, Mabibi, Greater St Lucia Wetland Park (now known as the Isimangaliso Wetland Park), KwaZulu Natal
Tel: (0)35-474-1473
Cell: (0)79-491-4422
Fax: (0)35-474-1490
I had been eagerly looking forward to my visit to Thonga Beach Lodge since before I had even left Cape Town. I knew it would be great because all the Gehrens’ places are (see Isibindi Zulu Lodge, Kosi Forest Lodge and Rhino Walking Safaris) but I didn’t expect it to be QUITE so beautiful! Thonga Beach is sandwiched between forested dunes and ocean, an hour’s sandy drive and 4x4 trail from the nearest tar road.....
.... Huts are connected by snaking, wooden walkways and in each a huge mosquito net hangs from high rafters, separating the bed from the bathroom, a design marvel in itself. One single piece of sculpted concrete flows past glass-bowl sinks and chrome taps into an oval bath. After unpacking, I took a quick dip in the sea before being whisked out for a breath-taking sundowner on Lake Sibaya. An elegant supper followed and my perfectly light fish accompanied by a soft white wine sent me to my hut for a long, much-needed sleep. Come morning, I was raring to go for a sunrise stroll. The sky was a soft pink, the surf breaking onto footprint-free sand and, looking back to the lodge, I could just make out the thatched tops of each rounded room, twelve in all, poking out through milkwood brush. This is as luxurious and romantic a destination as you’ll find anywhere, but it’s super-relaxed too. All staff are hugely friendly, the birding, diving, walking and wildlife are superb and – a rare bonus – it’s majority community-owned so your pennies help support the local economy.
